Album review

Circle of Unexisted

Crossroads

Firstly, I have to admit my abhorrence of the transgressive rock genre; it’s often loud, abrasive and...did I mention how loud it is? Still, there are a few bands who don’t instil complete and utter contempt within me and, with Circle of Unexisted’s ‘Crossroads’ album, I can see myself at least delving a little deeper into their Alice in Wonderland type ‘tree’ of lengthy, grating synths, industrialised drumming and diabolical vocal filtering.

If you dont like an offering with a lot of experimentation going on; something so defined by musicality, then ‘Crossroads’ is an absolute nightmare. It’s dark and dingy, but unlike many transgressive rockers, it’s not in any way controversial – mainly because so much of it is purely instrumental.

As you would probably expect with these extended repetitive compositions, things can drone on a bit...luckily, drone is a dedicated genre and the Russian federations finest know how to utilise its endurance and its minimalist, hallucinogenically toned character. Soon you find yourself taking in seemingly endless masses of ambient sounds all ultimately rising steadily to a discordant crescendo. And then, if you’ve managed to tolerate the whole thing, you may receive a little devious message from caricaturish St. Pan, Bloop or Crimson Bell...that is their rock aliases. Each to their own!